Arrive Well-Rested

Ever go on a trip and have the first couple of days ruined because you couldn't get to sleep, or couldn't wake up? It's very likely you suffered from a circadian rhythm disorder, and international vacation bummer: jet lag.

Also called time zone syndrome, jet lag is a mismatch between our internal clock, and the clock of the place you're traveling. Those traveling the farthest distances are usually hit the hardest, especially those headed east. (Such trips can be especially brutal on your gut, so be sure to pick up a copy of the Eat This, Not That! Restaurant Survival Guide and find out which road meals to avoid at all costs.)

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"Our bodies are naturally on a 25- or 26-hour clock," explains Donald W. Greenblatt, M.D., director of the Strong Sleep Disorders Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y. "If you fly westbound from New York to Seattle, it adds 3 hours to your day, which is closer to the body's natural cycle. When you fly from LA to New York, you're creating a 21-hour day, which is further away from the body's natural cycle and makes adjusting more difficult."

Jet lag symptoms (fatigue, insomnia, headache, anxiety, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and digestive problems like nausea, diarrhea, and constipation) can last anywhere from 2 days to a week, depending on distance traveled. "The general rule is it takes 1 day to recover from 1 time zone," says Dr. Carole Marks, M.D, specialist in family medicine at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn.

Though jet lag is worst when traveling across three time zones or more in the eastern direction, it can easily ruin any vacation if you're not prepared. Here are 10 tips for well-rested travel.

1. Leave stress at home. In any situation where you may be sleep-deprived, it pays to try to be stress-free. "Stress seems to play a role in how our body reacts to changing time zones," Dr. Greenblatt says.

2. Drink up. Dry air at high altitudes can be dehydrating and contribute to fatigue, so make sure you drink plenty of clear liquids. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, since both are dehydrating and can affect your sleeping pattern.

3. Reset your clock. Two or three days before your flight, change the time on your clocks and your computer a few hours forward or backward. "You don't have to completely acclimate yourself to a different clock, but the idea is to get your sleep cycle closer to the time zone that you're headed towards," says Aliya Ferouz-Colborn, M.D, Otolaryngology and Sleep Medicine at Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas, California.

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4. Regulate your light. Melatonin, the chemical that helps us sleep, is suppressed by bright lights. If you're traveling to a time zone 6 hours earlier or later and it's dark on the plane but light at your destination, try a light visor, which shines two lights into your eyes simulating daylight. This can help your body adjust to your new time zone before you even get there. If it's dark at your destination but light up in the air, shield your eyes with a sleep mask on the plane and try to get some sleep.

5. And if you're not getting enough melatonin, take a supplement. This over-the-counter herb has been proven helpful for jet lag. Take 3 to 5 milligrams at your destination when you're ready for bedtime.

6. Avoid spicy foods. "High-protein or spicy foods seem to be more stimulating and can keep you up," Dr. Greenblatt says. "Eat more carbohydrates, and if you really want to sleep, try a bowl of pasta on the plane, or a turkey sandwich."

7. Block out noise. Try noise-canceling headphones and listen to music if you're trying to sleep, or go without the music if the plane is loud.

8. Eat when you're hungry. Hunger can be a stimulant, says Dr. Greenblatt. "You don't want to eat a large meal that will make you uncomfortable, and at the same time you don't want to try to go to bed hungry." Though the experts recommend synching your sleeping schedule to your destination, they say you shouldn't worry about making your meal times match. "Stick with small meals and eat when you're hungry. It's too complicated to schedule your meals," Dr. Greenblatt says.

9. Shun sleeping pills. "You want your body to adjust to the sleeping pattern of the destination you're going to be in," Dr. Marks says. "A sedative can cause you to sleep too long on the plane, keeping you awake later that night and increasing your risk of developing blood clots on the plane."

10. Never take a red eye. When you're considering what time to fly, avoid night flights. "Red eyes might be efficient since you spend your night traveling but it usually doesn't pan out because people typically crash later," Dr. Ferouz-Colborn says. If you're flying east, aim to take a flight that lands mid-day at your destination, and for westbound travel try to land in the morning to get your clock on the right track.

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